Okay, here is the next little bit to the story, hope you all like it. Let me know if you do, let me know if you don't. Thank you so much to those who've already reviewed: apsara, lime green lion, Shelli, la_apsara, smee, Lady Nyght and Hannah and especially to Austin and Miranda who helped me out with bits of the story. PLEEAAASSEE r&r!!

Chapter 3

Lakh settled himself down on the large comfortable dog mat that Ally had set up for him in the corner of her room. As he was potty drained he had been allowed to sleep in her room. He could hear her talking downstairs with her dad so while she was busy he decided to have a quick look around her room. He was on a mission of course. That meant he had to make himself familiar with his surroundings. Of course, he wasn't being nosy or intrusive; he just had to find out as much as he could about her. The daybreak file had only been able to tell him so much. If he was going to find out whether she was the wild power and protect her from other not so pleasant individuals he had to know her inside out. Gain her explicit trust, learn her schedule, monitor who she spent time with, make sure wherever she went, he went.

Shifting quickly into his human form he stood up and started walking around her room. Noting her diary on a bedside table he left that for a rainy day, he had to have some way to entertain himself around here. Spying a photo on her desk he walked over. In the picture she was posed in front of a large building which looked like a school with a boy standing next to her with his arm wrapped around her waist. Frowning he examined the boy. Judging by his pale perfect features and silver eyes he was a vampire. Taking an instant disliking to him he slammed the photo back down again, inadvertently cracking the glass. Smiling in satisfaction he moved on. He would not be forgetting that boy though. Never had he seen someone so arrogant. Smirking out of the photo you could see he thought himself very powerful and far superior to those around him.

Well at least he had learned something. Ally's school had Night World students, and she had a terrible choice of friends. Turning around he almost bumped into the wardrobe. This room was just too damn small he thought, finding it rather difficult to manoeuvre his way around it, was a lot easier to do when he was only two feet high. Checking to make sure he could still here her talking downstairs he started sorting through the stuff on top of her desk, and drawers. This according to daybreak should be able to tell him a lot about her. Why they couldn't have employed a little birdie to find all this out he had no idea. Okay, he thought, lots of crap was meant to mean she was sane. Snorting he continued to look, that was doubtful, very doubtful.

His head snapped up when he heard the voices stop downstairs. Putting down the odd looking wooden thing he'd been holding he quickly shifted back into his Wolfhound form and settled back on the mat, attempting an innocent look as Ally entered the room. It had taken a while to clear the Wolfhound shape with the superiors. Too inconspicuous, too big, too many problems for them, after 5 minutes he'd fallen asleep. They hadn't like that. As he's tried to explain though, he led a very active life; he couldn't help it if boring assholes put him to sleep. The way they worked him anyway it's amazing he got any sleep at all. Eventually he had explained to them that the only way he would be able to properly protect the girl was if he was something big, strong and intimidating.

~

Ally gave her new pet dog an assessing look; he had a look on his face that meant he'd been up to something. Checking her shoes were still intact she shook her head and settled herself down on her bed. She was a little uneasy now at having such a big dog but she supposed it was just the sort of thing that took a bit of time to get used to. Settling herself down more comfortably she ran through her checklist of things she still had to do for him. Brush and comb, check, feed and water, that would be later, choose name. Damn, she knew she'd forgotten something.

Walking over to him she sat down in front of him, reaching over to scratch behind his ears the way she'd learned he liked it. 'Hmm, what am I going to call you?' she said absently, talking out loud had always helped her concentrate, and the sanctuary people had recommended it. It was meant to help the dogs get used to your voice. 'I don't want to give you a regular human name, that would be boring and you're too special for that aren't you? I suppose I'll just have to think about it.'

Walking downstairs she began to prepare his dinner for him, thinking as she absently mixed meat and dry food. She would be meeting up with the gang tomorrow, but her dad would be out and she couldn't just leave her dog at home all by himself; that would be mean. Thankfully she had already bought a collar and lead so that wouldn't be a problem and she was sure her friends would love him as much as she did. Wincing as she heard her thoughts she realised how badly she had to sort out a name for her dog, she couldn't keep thinking of him as just 'dog'.

Obviously smelling the food he wandered down the stairs and began to happily eat the food. Smiling contentedly at him she settled back in her chair to wait until he'd finished. When he looked half done, he picked the bowl up in his jaws and began walking outside with it. Curious Ally followed him, standing just inside the door she watched in amazement. He had meticulously eaten all of the meat and left behind all the dry food, which he was now neatly tipping into one of her dad's flower beds. Too stunned to do anything she simply stood rigidly still as he walked back inside and replaced the bowl where he'd left it, turning to give her a look of reproach as if she'd done something wrong, SHE, not him.

Lakh looked at the girl in disdain. He had no problem eating raw meat, like any other average shape shifter it was an essential part of his diet. There was no way however that he was going to eat any of that stupid cardboard, artificial rubbish. Not for her, not for Daybreak, and certainly not out of the good of his heart. He saw her spluttering and quietly sat through her baffled scolding. It was to be expected he supposed, soon she'd learn though.

Finished with her reluctant rant Ally plopped onto a nearby sofa and flicked the TV on so she could watch some Simpson's. Looking around she tried to see if there was anything available she could munch on as a snack. Spying a Kit-Kat on the kitchen counter she reached over to snag it. Carefully she went through her little ritual. Take off the paper wrapping, score the middle of the foil with her thumb nail, snap the two bits apart and then slowly pulling one of them fingers out. It was only then that she noticed the dog standing right in front of her salivating on the carpet. 'EWWW! Do you have to do that? That's disgusting, here don't worry I'll share, I'm in a generous mood.' Pulling the other half out she was just about to hand it over to him before she remembered what the guide had told her. Pulling it out of reach, the quietly but firmly told him to sit while pushing down on his rear end, he had to learn sometime or other, might as well start now.

Lakh stared at the chocolate in disbelief, twice in one day? This was too good to be true. He watched mesmerised as she leant forward to give it to him and shut his eyes in pleasure hanging his mouth open in anticipation. When she didn't give him anything he shut his mouth again and cracked one eye open. Blinking a couple of times, he shook his head just to make sure his ears hadn't got clogged up. They must have, because he just thought she'd asked him to sit to get his food, and there's no way he was going to beg for anything. When she repeated the order and started to pull the chocolate further away he started to get desperate, she wouldn't, she couldn't, this was just too cruel, how could anyone be expected to do this? When he saw the chocolate all but vanish from sight he did what he had to do. His rear end hit the floor in record breaking time, and he craned his neck forward, almost taking her hand off with the chocolate when she offered it.

Ally whipped back her hand in shock. That had been close; she had just felt the scrape of his teeth as she pulled her hand back. Shaken she began to flip through the channels, looked like she needed something a little more engaging than Simpson's this evening. Finally, landing on the film channel she waited till the break was over to see what film was on. After a very annoying loan advert she was greeted by the now familiar sight of a small be speckled wizard and his friends facing down a three headed dog. Suddenly inspiration struck. Whipping her head around she grinned ecstatically at the confused looking dog. 'I've just thought of the perfect name for you!' Pointing at the TV over her shoulder she all but squealed the name that she had selected, 'FLUFFY!'